U.S. patent application number 16/567415 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-09 for techniques for controlling a network.
The applicant listed for this patent is QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to Raamkumar Balamurthi, Brian Michael Buesker, Danyang Cong, Danny Jen, Harshit Joshi, Simone Merlin, Bibhu Mohanty, Nitin Ravinder, Hemanth Sampath, Yanjun Sun, Eric Vanbuhler, Vamsi Vegunta, Yuan Zhou.
Application Number | 20200112871 16/567415 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70051359 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-09 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200112871 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Merlin; Simone ; et
al. |
April 9, 2020 |
TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLING A NETWORK
Abstract
This disclosure describes systems, devices, apparatus, and
methods, including computer programs encoded on storage media, for
controlling a network with one or more access points (APs). A
controller may be configured to schedule at least some resources of
the one or more APs to improve network efficiency. The APs may
measure and report a variety of information and statistics to the
controller. The controller may determine one or more transmission
parameters and one or more operations a given AP is permitted to
perform during a respective time interval. The controller may
communicate the one or more transmission parameters using an
indication, such as a message. At least one AP associated with the
controller may communicate with stations (STAs) using the one or
more transmission parameters.
Inventors: |
Merlin; Simone; (San Diego,
CA) ; Sun; Yanjun; (San Diego, CA) ; Sampath;
Hemanth; (San Diego, CA) ; Mohanty; Bibhu;
(Del Mar, CA) ; Buesker; Brian Michael; (San
Diego, CA) ; Zhou; Yuan; (San Diego, CA) ;
Vanbuhler; Eric; (San Diego, CA) ; Cong; Danyang;
(San Diego, CA) ; Balamurthi; Raamkumar; (San
Diego, CA) ; Joshi; Harshit; (San Diego, CA) ;
Vegunta; Vamsi; (San Diego, CA) ; Jen; Danny;
(San Diego, CA) ; Ravinder; Nitin; (San Diego,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM Incorporated |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
70051359 |
Appl. No.: |
16/567415 |
Filed: |
September 11, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62743252 |
Oct 9, 2018 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 88/12 20130101;
H04L 5/0035 20130101; H04W 28/0268 20130101; H04L 5/006 20130101;
H04W 8/245 20130101; H04W 48/00 20130101; H04W 74/0808 20130101;
H04L 5/0082 20130101; H04W 24/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 28/02 20060101
H04W028/02; H04W 8/24 20060101 H04W008/24; H04W 74/08 20060101
H04W074/08; H04L 5/00 20060101 H04L005/00 |
Claims
1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving
information from one or more access points; determining one or more
transmission parameters and one or more operations that at least
one access point of the one or more access points is permitted to
perform during a respective time interval based at least in part on
the information; and transmitting at least one message to at least
one of the one or more access points, the message indicating the
one or more operations that at least one of the access points is
permitted to perform.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information from
the one or more access points comprises receiving statistics for a
first group of stations associated with a first access point of the
one or more access points and a second group of stations that are
not associated with the first access point.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least
one request to at least one of the one or more access points to
collect the information, wherein receiving the information is based
at least in part on transmitting the at least one request.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from the
one or more access points comprises statistics about communication
links between at least some of the one or more access points and
one or more stations.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from the
one or more access points comprises association and capabilities
information per associated station.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from the
one or more access points comprises an indicator of an amount of
pending traffic for at least one station of one or more
stations.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the amount of pending traffic
included in the indicator may be indicated per one or more of a
quality of service (QoS) category, or an access category (AC), or a
traffic identifier (TID) of the pending traffic.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from the
one or more access points comprises one or more signal quality
indicators associated with a communication link between a first
access point and a station.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the station is associated with
the first access point.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the station is not associated
with the first access point.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the station is one of the
stations indicated in a tracked list that is communicated in the at
least one message.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from
the one or more access points comprises a beacon report about
beacons received from other access points.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received from
the one or more access points comprises a power state of a
station.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmission
parameters comprise one or more of instructions to cause at least
one of the one or more access points to communicate with stations
associated with the at least one of the one or more access points,
a request-to-send configuration, a clear-to-send configuration, or
an indication of a rate adaptation configuration.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmit parameters comprise
one or more clear channel assessment (CCA) configuration
parameters, one or more backoff parameters, one or more enhanced
distributed coordination function (DCF) channel access (EDCA)
parameters, one or more energy detection threshold parameters, one
or more delay acknowledgement parameters, or one or more
request-to-send (RTS) parameters.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging
configuration information or diagnostic information associated with
the one or more access points with a cloud controller, wherein
determining the time intervals or determining the one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval is based
at least in part on exchanging the configuration information or the
diagnostic information with the cloud controller.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein a controller is configured to
transmit the at least one message to the one or more access
points.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the one or more access
points comprises the controller.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein a control loop of the
controller is at least partially executed by a server different
than the one or more access points.
20. A method for wireless communication, comprising: identifying
information about an access point or a group of stations associated
with the access point; transmitting the information to a controller
configured to control a plurality of access points that includes
the access point; receiving at least one message from the
controller that comprises one or more transmission parameters
defining one or more operations that at least one of the access
points is permitted to perform; and determining one or more
transmission parameters for the information transmitted to the
controller.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying
statistics about stations that have an established communication
link with the access point, wherein the information transmitted to
the controller comprises the statistics.
22. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying
statistics about stations that do not have an established
communication link with the access point, wherein the information
transmitted to the controller comprises the statistics.
23. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying
statistics about other access points, wherein the information
transmitted to the controller comprises the statistics about the
other access points.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the information transmitted to
the controller comprises statistics about a first group of stations
associated with the access point and a second group of stations
that are not associated with the access point.
25. The method of claim 20, wherein the information transmitted to
the controller comprises an indicator of traffic pending for at
least one station of the group of stations.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein the information transmitted to
the controller comprises one or more of a list of stations tracked
by the access point, a signal quality indicator associated with a
communication link between the access point and a station, a beacon
report about beacons received from other access points, client
statistics, basic service set (BSS) statistics, or a power state of
the station.
27. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more transmission
parameters comprise one or more of instructions to the access point
to cause the access point to communicate with stations associated
with the access point, a modification to a schedule associated with
the access point, a request-to-send configuration, a clear-to-send
configuration, an indication of a rate adaptation
configuration.
28. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving at least
one request to collect the information about the access point,
wherein identifying the information is based at least in part on
receiving the at least one request.
29. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a
processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor;
and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the
processor to cause the apparatus to: receive information from one
or more access points; determine one or more transmission
parameters and one or more operations that at least one access
point of the one or more access points is permitted to perform
during the respective time interval based at least in part on the
information; and transmit at least one message to at least one of
the one or more access points, the message indicating the one or
more operations that at least one of the access points is permitted
to perform
30. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a
processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor;
and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the
processor to cause the apparatus to: identify information about an
access point or a group of stations associated with the access
point; transmit the information to a controller configured to
control a plurality of access points that include the access point;
receive at least one message from the controller that comprises an
indication that one or more operations is permitted to be
performed.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] The present Application for Patent claims the benefit of
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/743,252 by MERLIN et
al., entitled "TECHNIQUES FOR CONTROLLING A NETWORK," filed Oct. 9,
2018, assigned to the assignee hereof, and expressly incorporated
by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to wireless
communications, and more specifically, to techniques for
controlling a network.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY
[0003] A wireless local area network (WLAN) may be formed by one or
more access points (APs) that provide a shared wireless
communication medium for use by a number of client devices also
referred to as stations (STAs). The basic building block of a WLAN
conforming to the 802.11 family of standards is a Basic Service Set
(BSS), which is managed by an AP. Each BSS is identified by a
service set identifier (SSID) that is advertised by the AP. An AP
periodically broadcasts beacon frames to enable any STAs within
wireless range of the AP to establish or maintain a communication
link with the WLAN. In a typical WLAN, each STA may be associated
with only one AP at a time. To identify an AP with which to
associate, a STA is configured to perform scans on the wireless
channels of each of one or more frequency bands (for example, the
2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, or both). As a result of the
increasing ubiquity of wireless networks, a STA may have the
opportunity to select one of many WLANs within range of the STA or
select among multiple APs that together form an extended BSS. After
association with an AP, an STA may additionally or alternatively be
configured to periodically scan its surroundings to find a more
suitable AP with which to associate. For example, a STA that is
moving relative to its associated AP may perform a "roaming" scan
to find an AP having more desirable network characteristics such as
a greater received signal strength indicator (RSSI).
[0004] Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to
provide various types of communication content such as voice,
video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems
may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication
with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (for
example, time, frequency, and space). The AP may be coupled to a
network, such as the Internet, and may enable a station to
communicate via the network including communicating with other
devices coupled to the AP.
SUMMARY
[0005] The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each
have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely
responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.
[0006] A method of wireless communication is described. The method
may include receiving information from one or more access points,
determining one or more transmission parameters and one or more
operations that at least one access point of the one or more access
points is permitted to perform during a respective time interval
based on the information, and transmitting at least one message to
at least one of the one or more access points, the message
indicating the one or more operations that at least one of the
access points is permitted to perform.
[0007] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The
apparatus may include a processor, memory in electronic
communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the
memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to
cause the apparatus to receive information from one or more access
points, determine one or more transmission parameters and one or
more operations that at least one access point of the one or more
access points is permitted to perform during a respective time
interval based on the information, and transmit at least one
message to at least one of the one or more access points, the
message indicating the one or more operations that at least one of
the access points is permitted to perform.
[0008] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described.
The apparatus may include means for receiving information from one
or more access points, determining one or more transmission
parameters and one or more operations that at least one access
point of the one or more access points is permitted to perform
during a respective time interval based on the information, and
transmitting at least one message to at least one of the one or
more access points, the message indicating the one or more
operations that at least one of the access points is permitted to
perform.
[0009] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for
wireless communication is described. The code may include
instructions executable by a processor to receive information from
one or more access points, determine one or more transmission
parameters and one or more operations that at least one access
point of the one or more access points is permitted to perform
during a respective time interval based on the information, and
transmit at least one message to at least one of the one or more
access points, the message indicating the one or more operations
that at least one of the access points is permitted to perform.
[0010] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein,
determining time intervals to be used by at least one of the one or
more access points to communicate with one or more stations based
on the information from the one or more access points, where the
one or more transmission parameters are associated with each time
interval, the one or more transmission parameters associated with
each time interval defining, for the respective time interval, one
or more operations that at least one access point of the one or
more access points is permitted to perform during the respective
time interval.
[0011] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving
the information from the one or more access points may include
operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving
statistics for a first group of stations associated with a first
access point of the one or more access points and a second group of
stations that may be not associated with the first access point,
where determining the time intervals or determining the one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval may be
based on receiving the statistics about the first group of stations
and the second group of stations from the first access point.
[0012] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining a type of a time interval, where determining the
one or more transmission parameters may be based on determining the
type of the time interval.
[0013] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the type
of the time interval includes an arrangement of transmission
parameters for the time interval.
[0014] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the type
of the time interval includes one or more of an AP-time type, a
silent type, and one or more other types.
[0015] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
AP-time type indicates that the at least one access point may serve
any station associated with the at least one access point during
the time interval.
[0016] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
silent type indicates that the at least one access point does not
transmit data packets during the time interval.
[0017] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one
or more other types indicate that the at least one access point may
be configured to transmit selected types of frames during the time
interval.
[0018] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for transmitting at least one request to at least one of the one or
more access points to collect the information, where receiving the
information may be based on transmitting the at least one
request.
[0019] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes
statistics about communication links between at least some of the
one or more access points and the one or more stations.
[0020] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes
association and capabilities information per associated
station.
[0021] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes an
indicator of an amount of pending traffic for at least one station
of the one or more stations.
[0022] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
amount of pending traffic included in the indicator may be
indicated per one or more of a quality of service (QoS) category,
or an access category (AC), or a traffic identifier (TID) of the
pending traffic.
[0023] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes
one or more signal quality indicators associated with a
communication link between a first access point and a station.
[0024] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
station may be associated with the first access point.
[0025] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
station may be not associated with the first access point.
[0026] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
station may be one of the stations indicated in a tracked list that
may be communicated in the at least one message.
[0027] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes a
beacon report about beacons received from other access points.
[0028] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information received from the one or more access points includes a
power state of a station.
[0029] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one
or more transmission parameters include one or more of instructions
to cause at least one of the one or more access points to
communicate with stations associated with the at least one of the
one or more access points, a request-to-send configuration, a
clear-to-send configuration, or an indication of a rate adaptation
configuration.
[0030] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
transmit parameters include one or more clear channel assessment
(CCA) configuration parameters, one or more backoff parameters, one
or more enhanced distributed coordination function (DCF) channel
access (EDCA) parameters, one or more energy detection threshold
parameters, one or more delay acknowledgement parameters, or one or
more request-to-send (RTS) parameters.
[0031] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for identifying, for at least one of the time intervals, a device
such as a station to communicate with a first access point of the
one or more access points during the time interval, where the one
or more transmission parameters indicate that the first access
point may be permitted to communicate with the station during the
time interval.
[0032] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining, for at least one of the time intervals, that a
first access point of the one or more access points may be
permitted to communicate during the time interval with a group of
stations, where the one or more transmission parameters indicate
that the first access point may be permitted to communicate during
the time interval with the group of stations.
[0033] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining, for at least one of the time intervals,
identifiers of stations that a first access point of the one or
more access points may be permitted to communicate with during the
time interval, where the at least one message includes the
identifiers.
[0034] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining conditions of communication links between the one
or more access points and the one or more stations based on
receiving the information from the one or more access points, where
determining the one or more transmission parameters may be based on
determining the conditions of the communication links.
[0035] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a first
access point may be configured to receive uplink signals from a
first group of stations during a first time interval and a second
access point may be configured to receive uplink signals from a
second group of stations during the first time interval.
[0036] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining whether the time interval may be associated with an
uplink signal or a downlink signal, where the at least one message
includes an indication of whether the time interval may be
associated with the uplink signal or with the downlink signal.
[0037] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for exchanging configuration information or diagnostic information
associated with the one or more access points with a cloud
controller, where determining the time intervals or determining the
one or more transmission parameters associated with each time
interval may be based on exchanging the configuration information
or the diagnostic information with the cloud controller.
[0038] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a
controller may be configured to transmit the at least one message
to the one or more access points.
[0039] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, one of
the one or more access points includes the controller.
[0040] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a control
loop of the controller may be at least partially executed by a
server different than the one or more access points.
[0041] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein,
identifying information about an access point or a group of
stations associated with the access point, transmitting the
information to a controller configured to control a set of access
points that includes the access point, receiving at least one
message from the controller that includes one or more transmission
parameters defining one or more operations that at least one of the
access points is permitted to perform, and determining one or more
transmission parameters for the information transmitted to the
controller.
[0042] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The
apparatus may include a processor, memory in electronic
communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the
memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to
cause the apparatus to identify information about an access point
or a group of stations associated with the access point, transmit
the information to a controller configured to control a set of
access points that include the access point, receive at least one
message from the controller that includes one or more transmission
parameters defining one or more operations that at least one of the
access points is permitted to perform, and determine one or more
transmission parameters for the information transmitted to the
controller.
[0043] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described.
The apparatus may include means for identifying information about
an access point or a group of stations associated with the access
point, transmitting the information to a controller configured to
control a set of access points that includes the access point,
receiving at least one message from the controller that includes
one or more transmission parameters defining one or more operations
that at least one of the access points is permitted to perform, and
determine one or more transmission parameters for the information
transmitted to the controller.
[0044] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for
wireless communication is described. The code may include
instructions executable by a processor to identify information
about an access point or a group of stations associated with the
access point, transmit the information to a controller configured
to control a set of access points that includes the access point,
receive at least one message from the controller that includes one
or more transmission parameters defining one or more operations
that at least one of the access points is permitted to perform, and
determine one or more transmission parameters for the information
transmitted to the controller.
[0045] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein,
performing at least one of the one or more operations includes
communicating with at least one station of the group of stations
based on the respective one or more transmission parameters.
[0046] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving
the at least one message from the controller that includes time
intervals for the access point to communicate with the group of
stations and one or more transmission parameters associated with
each time interval, the one or more transmission parameters
defining, for the respective time interval, one or more operations
that the access point is permitted to perform during the respective
time interval.
[0047] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the group
of stations includes stations that may have an established
communication link with the access point, where the access point
may be permitted to communicate with the stations during the at
least one time interval.
[0048] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for determining identifiers of stations that the access point may
be permitted to communicate with during the at least one time
interval based on receiving the at least one message, where
communicating with the group of stations during the at least one
time interval may be based on the identifiers.
[0049] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for identifying statistics about stations that may have an
established communication link with the access point, where the
information transmitted to the controller includes the
statistics.
[0050] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for identifying statistics about stations that do not may have an
established communication link with the access point, where the
information transmitted to the controller includes the
statistics.
[0051] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for identifying statistics about other access points, where the
information transmitted to the controller includes the statistics
about the other access points.
[0052] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information transmitted to the controller includes statistics about
a first group of stations associated with the access point and a
second group of stations that may be not associated with the access
point.
[0053] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information transmitted to the controller includes an indicator of
traffic pending for at least one station of the group of
stations.
[0054] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
information transmitted to the controller includes one or more of a
list of stations tracked by the access point, a signal quality
indicator associated with a communication link between the access
point and a station, a beacon report about beacons received from
other access points, client statistics, basic service set (BSS)
statistics, or a power state of the station.
[0055] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one
or more transmission parameters include one or more of instructions
to the access point to cause the access point to communicate with
stations associated with the access point, a modification to a
schedule associated with the access point, a request-to-send
configuration, a clear-to-send configuration, an indication of a
rate adaptation configuration.
[0056] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may additionally or
alternatively include operations, features, means, or instructions
for receiving at least one request to collect the information about
the access point, where identifying the information may be based on
receiving the at least one request.
[0057] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein,
communicating with the group of stations may include operations,
features, means, or instructions for receiving uplink signals from
the group of stations during the at least one time interval.
[0058] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
access point includes at least a portion of the controller.
[0059] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter
described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and
advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings
and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following
figures may not be drawn to scale.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0060] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless
communication system for use in wireless communication.
[0061] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example of an
architecture of a wireless communication system.
[0062] FIG. 3A shows an example frame usable for communications
between an access point (AP) and a number of stations (STAs).
[0063] FIG. 3B shows an example frame usable for communications
between an AP and a number of STAs.
[0064] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an example AP for use in
wireless communication.
[0065] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an example controller for
use in wireless communication.
[0066] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example STA for use in
wireless communication.
[0067] FIG. 7 shows an example of a swim lane diagram for use in
wireless communication.
[0068] FIG. 8 shows an example of a timing diagram for use in
wireless communication.
[0069] FIG. 9 shows an example of a timing diagram for use in
wireless communication.
[0070] FIGS. 10 and 11 show block diagrams of devices for use in
wireless communication.
[0071] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a communications manager
for use in wireless communication.
[0072] FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system including a device for
use in wireless communication.
[0073] FIGS. 14 and 15 show block diagrams of devices for use in
wireless communication.
[0074] FIG. 16 shows a block diagram of a communications manager
for use in wireless communication.
[0075] FIG. 17 shows a diagram of a system including a device for
use in wireless communication.
[0076] FIGS. 18-22 show flowcharts illustrating methods for use in
wireless communication.
[0077] Like reference numbers and designations in the various
drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0078] The following description is directed to specific
implementations for the purposes of describing innovative aspects
of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the
art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied
in a multitude of different ways. The described implementations can
be implemented in any device, system or network that is capable of
transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according
to any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) 802.11 standards, or the Bluetooth.RTM. standards. The
described implementations may additionally or alternatively be
implemented in any device, system or network that is capable of
transmitting and receiving RF signals according to any of the
following technologies or techniques: code division multiple access
(CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal
frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple
access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM),
GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM
Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA),
Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO,
EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High
Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet
Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term
Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals that are used to
communicate within a wireless, cellular or internet-of-things (TOT)
network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G or 5G, or further
implementations thereof, technology.
[0079] Some wireless communication systems may include a network of
multiple access points (APs) deployed at a given location. The APs
may cooperate to provide coverage to the location. In some
deployments of a network, the coverage areas of the APs may overlap
resulting in interference as well as situations in which multiple
APs can service one station (STA). In some wireless communication
systems, the execution of some operations may be determined by the
STA.
[0080] Techniques for controlling a network with multiple APs are
described herein. A first device, such as a controller, may be
configured to schedule at least some resources of multiple APs to
improve network efficiency. The APs may measure and report a
variety of information and statistics to the controller. The
controller may determine time intervals for the APs to perform
functions. The controller may additionally or alternatively
determine one or more transmission parameters associated with each
time interval defining what operations a given AP is permitted to
perform during the respective time interval. The controller may
optionally communicate the time intervals and the one or more
transmission parameters using a message. The APs associated with
the controller may optionally communicate with STAs using the time
intervals based on the one or more transmission parameters.
[0081] Various implementations relate generally to wireless
communications. Some implementations more specifically relate to
controlling a network with multiple APs using time intervals and
transmission parameters. Particular implementations of the subject
matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize
one or more of the following potential advantages. In some
implementations, the described techniques can be used to define
time intervals and transmission parameters associated with the time
intervals to schedule resources and to improve network
efficiency.
[0082] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example wireless
communication system 100. According to some aspects, the wireless
communication system 100 can include aspects of a wireless local
area network (WLAN). For example, the wireless communication system
100 can be a network implementing at least one of the IEEE 802.11
family of standards. The wireless communication system 100 may
include numerous wireless devices including multiple APs 105 and
multiple associated STAs 115.
[0083] The wireless communication system 100 may be deployed at a
location, such as a home or business. In such deployments, the
wireless communication system 100 may include a router, one or more
switches, or both (hereinafter router/switch 120). The
router/switch 120 may be configured to connect an outside network
(for example, the internet or the cloud 125) with the wireless
communication system 100. The router/switch 120 may enable the APs
105 and STAs 115 of the network to share a connection to the cloud
or the internet. The router/switch 120 may include a wide-area
network (WAN) port that may be coupled with the cloud 125 and one
or more local area network (LAN) ports that may be coupled with one
or more APs 105 or STAs 115. The router/switch 120 may act as a
controller of the network and enable the devices of the network to
communicate with one another.
[0084] The cloud 125 may be an example of any external WAN,
including the internet or a core network. The cloud 125 may include
one or more servers, computing devices, or databases to perform the
functions described herein.
[0085] In some wireless communication systems 100, the
router/switch 120 may coordinate the traffic of the entire network.
If the wireless communication system 100 includes multiple access
points, the router/switch 120 may not be configured to coordinate
the actions of the multiple APs 105. In such circumstances, the APs
105 may interfere with each other, compete needlessly for available
resources, or experience other issues that may adversely impact
network performance or throughput.
[0086] The wireless communication system 100 may include a
controller 130 configured to coordinate the operations of one or
more APs 105 deployed at a location in the same network that may be
managed by the router/switch 120. The controller 130 may be an
example of software or firmware implemented on one or more devices
to perform the functions described herein. In some examples, the
controller 130 may be implemented using devices of the cloud 125.
In some examples, the controller 130 may be implemented by the
router/switch 120 or one of the APs 105 of the wireless
communication system 100. In some examples, the controller 130 may
be implemented by any combination of devices of the cloud 125, the
router/switch 120, one or more APs 105, or other computing device
with a communicative connection with the wireless communication
system 100. The controller 130 may be communicatively coupled with
the APs 105 using wired communication links, wireless communication
links, or a combination thereof, for example, using the
router/switch 120.
[0087] Each of the STAs 115 may additionally or alternatively be
referred to as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device, a mobile
handset, a wireless handset, an access terminal (AT), a user
equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), or a subscriber unit,
among other possibilities. The STAs 115 may represent various
devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs),
other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, tablet
computers, laptops, display devices (for example, TVs, computer
monitors, navigation systems, among others), printers, key fobs
(for example, for passive keyless entry and start (PKES) systems),
among other possibilities.
[0088] Each of the STAs 115 may associate and communicate with the
AP 105 via a communication link 110. The various STAs 115 in the
network are able to communicate with one another through the AP
105. A single AP 105 and an associated set of STAs 115 may be
referred to as a basic service set (BSS). Coverage areas of the APs
105 may represent a basic service area (BSA) of the wireless
communication system 100. While only one AP 105 is shown, the
wireless communication system 100 can include multiple APs 105. An
extended service set (ESS) may include a set of connected BSSs. An
extended network station associated with the wireless communication
system 100 may be coupled with a wired or wireless distribution
system that may allow multiple APs 105 to be connected in such an
ESS. As such, a STA 115 can be covered by more than one AP 105 and
can associate with different APs 105 at different times for
different transmissions.
[0089] STAs 115 may function and communicate (via the respective
communication links 110) according to the IEEE 802.11 family of
standards and amendments including, but not limited to, 802.11a,
802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.1lay,
802.11ax, 802.11az, and 802.11ba. These standards define the
wireless communication system radio and baseband protocols for the
physical (PHY) layer and medium access control (MAC) layer. The
wireless devices in the wireless communication system 100 may
communicate over an unlicensed spectrum, which may be a portion of
spectrum that includes frequency bands traditionally used by Wi-Fi
technology, such as the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, the 60 GHz
band, the 3.6 GHz band, and the 900 MHz band. The unlicensed
spectrum may also include other frequency bands, such as the
emerging 6 GHz band. The wireless devices in the wireless
communication system 100 may additionally or alternatively be
configured to communicate over other frequency bands such as shared
licensed frequency bands, where multiple operators may have a
license to operate in the same or overlapping frequency band or
bands.
[0090] In some examples, STAs 115 may form networks without APs 105
or other equipment other than the STAs 115 themselves. One example
of such a network is an ad hoc network (or wireless ad hoc
network). Ad hoc networks may alternatively be referred to as mesh
networks or peer-to-peer (P2P) connections. In some examples, ad
hoc networks may be implemented within a larger wireless network
such as the wireless communication system 100. In such
implementations, while the STAs 115 may be capable of communicating
with each other through the AP 105 using communication links 110,
STAs 115 also can communicate directly with each other via direct
wireless communication links. Additionally, two STAs 115 may
communicate via a direct communication link regardless of whether
both STAs 115 are associated with and served by the same AP 105. In
such an ad hoc system, one or more of the STAs 115 may assume the
role filled by the AP 105 in a BSS. Such a STA 115 may be referred
to as a group owner (GO) and may coordinate transmissions within
the ad hoc network. Examples of direct wireless communication links
include Wi-Fi Direct connections, connections established by using
a Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other
peer-to-peer (P2P) group connections.
[0091] Some types of STAs 115 may provide for automated
communication. Automated wireless devices may include those
implementing IoT communication, Machine-to-Machine (M2M)
communication, or machine type communication (MTC). IoT, M2M or MTC
may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to
communicate without human intervention. For example, IoT, M2M or
MTC may refer to communications from STAs 115 that integrate
sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay that
information to a central server or application program that can
make use of the information or present the information to humans
interacting with the program or application.
[0092] Some of STAs 115 may be MTC devices, such as MTC devices
designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of
machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart
metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment
monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and
geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote
security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based
business charging. An MTC device may operate using half-duplex
(one-way) communications at a reduced peak rate. MTC devices may
additionally or alternatively be configured to enter a power saving
"deep sleep" mode when not engaging in active communications.
[0093] Wireless communication system 100 may support beamformed
transmissions. As an example, AP 105 may use multiple antennas or
antenna arrays to conduct beamforming operations for directional
communications with a STA 115. Beamforming (which may additionally
or alternatively be referred to as spatial filtering or directional
transmission) is a signal processing technique that may be used at
a transmitter (for example, AP 105) to shape or steer an overall
antenna beam in the direction of a target receiver (for example, a
STA 115). Beamforming may be achieved by combining elements in an
antenna array in such a way that transmitted signals at particular
angles experience constructive interference while others experience
destructive interference. In some examples, the ways in which the
elements of the antenna array are combined at the transmitter may
depend on channel state information (C SI) associated with the
channels over which the AP 105 may communicate with the STA 115.
That is, based on this CSI, the AP 105 may appropriately weight the
transmissions from each antenna (for example, or antenna port) such
that the desired beamforming effects are achieved. In some
examples, these weights may be determined before beamforming can be
employed. For example, the transmitter (for example, the AP 105)
may transmit one or more sounding packets to the receiver in order
to determine CSI.
[0094] Wireless communication system 100 may additionally or
alternatively support multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO)
wireless systems. Such systems may use a transmission scheme
between a transmitter (for example, AP 105) and a receiver (for
example, a STA 115), where both transmitter and receiver are
equipped with multiple antennas. For example, AP 105 may have an
antenna array with a number of rows and columns of antenna ports
that the AP 105 may use for beamforming in its communication with a
STA 115. Signals may be transmitted multiple times in different
directions (for example, each transmission may be beamformed
differently). The receiver (for example, STA 115) may try multiple
beams (for example, antenna subarrays) while receiving the
signals.
[0095] Wireless communication system 100 may additionally or
alternatively support using one or more APs 105 to establish a
coverage area at a location. The multiple APs 105 may be used to
provide network access to a set of STAs 115. In some examples, the
plurality of APs 105 may exchange information through wireless
communication links or through the router/switch 120. The
information may be exchanged between APs 105 and the
controller.
[0096] In some examples, one or more STAs 115 may be associated
with an AP 105. When a STA 115 is associated with the AP 105, a
communication link 110 is established between the AP 105 and the
STA 115. In environments where multiple APs 105 service a given
location, STAs 115 may be associated with APs 105 to manage network
traffic. In some examples, an AP 105 may receive signals from
non-associated STAs 115. For example, an AP 105 may receive signals
(represented by communication links 135) from one or more
non-associated STAs 115, one or more other APs 105, other devices,
or any combination thereof.
[0097] PDUs of the wireless communication system may be transmitted
over a radio frequency spectrum band, which in some examples may
include multiple sub-bands or frequency channels. In some examples,
the radio frequency spectrum band may have a bandwidth of 80 MHz,
and each of the sub-bands or channels may have a bandwidth of 20
MHz. Transmissions to and from STAs 115 and APs 105 typically
include control information within a header that is transmitted
prior to data transmissions. The information provided in a header
is used by a receiving device to decode the subsequent data. A
legacy preamble of the wireless communication system may include
legacy short training field (STF) (L-STF) information, legacy long
training field (L-LTF) information, and legacy signaling (L-SIG)
information. The legacy preamble may be used for packet detection,
automatic gain control and channel estimation, among other uses.
The legacy preamble may additionally or alternatively be used to
maintain compatibility with legacy devices.
[0098] FIG. 2 shows an example of an architecture 200 of a wireless
communication system (for example, the wireless communication
system described with reference to FIG. 1). The architecture 200
may be an example of a logical architecture and each of the
components discussed may be implemented by one or more computing
devices. For example, the controller 130 may be implemented using a
server of the cloud 125, an independent server, one or more APs
105, other computing devices, or any combination thereof. The
architecture 200 may include a cloud 125, a controller 130, one or
more APs 105, and one or more STAs 115.
[0099] The cloud 125 may be configured to configure the network of
the wireless communication system by issuing commands to the APs
105 based on information reported by the APs 105 to the cloud 125.
The process of reporting information to the cloud 125 and receiving
commands from the cloud by the APs 105 may take an amount of time
to complete. In some implementations, the controller 130 may be
configured to provide faster reporting and faster control than the
cloud 125. In some examples, the controller 130 may be an example
of an edge server of the cloud 125.
[0100] The cloud 125 may be configured to exchange communications
205 with the controller 130 and communications 210 with the one or
more APs 105. The communications 205 and 210 may include long-term
configuration information, diagnostic information, or both. The
controller 130 may be configured to exchange communications 215
with the one or more APs 105. The communications 215 may include
low-latency reporting of statistics about the network, low-latency
commands, or controls that are configured to provide low-latency
scheduling of traffic. In some implementations, the low-latency
reporting, low-latency commands, or the low-latency scheduling of
traffic may refer to reporting, commands, or scheduling of
communications that require low-latency. The one or more APs 105
may exchange communications 220 with the STAs 115. The
communications 220 may include management frames (such as beacons,
probe requests and probe responses), data frames for both uplink
and downlink traffic, interference, noise, other signals, or any
combination thereof.
[0101] FIG. 3A shows an example frame 300 usable for communications
between an AP and each of a number of stations identified by the AP
or each of a number of stations associated with the AP. For
example, the frame 300 can be formatted as a very high throughput
(VHT) frame in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ac amendment to the
IEEE 802.11 set of standards. The frame 300 includes a legacy
preamble portion 302 that includes an L-STF 304, an L-LTF 306, and
a legacy signaling field (L-SIG) 308. The frame 300 further
includes a non-legacy preamble portion that includes a first VHT
signaling field (VHT-SIG-A) 310, a VHT short training field
(VHT-STF) 312, a number of VHT long training fields (VHT-LTFs) 314
and a second VHT signaling field (VHT-SIG-B) 316. The frame 300
also can include a payload or data portion 318 after the preamble.
The data portion 318 can include MAC protocol data units (MPDUs),
for example, in the form of an aggregated MPDU (AMPDU).
[0102] The frame 300 may be transmitted over a radio frequency
spectrum band, which may include multiple sub-bands. For example,
the radio frequency spectrum band may have a bandwidth of 80 MHz,
and each of the sub-bands may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz. When the
radio frequency spectrum band includes one or more sub-bands, the
L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG fields 304, 306 and 308, respectively, may
be duplicated and transmitted in each of the plurality of
sub-bands. The information in the VHT-SIG-A field 310 is also
duplicated and transmitted in each sub-band.
[0103] The VHT-SIG-A field 310 may indicate to a station that the
frame 300 is an IEEE 802.11ac frame. The VHT-SIG-A field 310 also
may include VHT signaling information usable by stations other than
the number of stations that are identified to receive downlink
communications in the frame 300. The VHT-SIG-A field 310 also
includes information usable by the identified number of stations to
decode the VHT-SIG-B field 316. The VHT-SIG-B field 316 may include
VHT signaling information usable by the number of stations
identified to receive downlink communications in the frame 300.
More specifically, the VHT-SIG-B field 316 may include information
usable by the number of stations to decode data received in the
data portion 318. The VHT-SIG-B field 316 may be encoded separately
from the VHT-SIG-A field 310. The number of VHT-LTFs 314 depends on
the number of transmitted streams.
[0104] FIG. 3B shows an example frame 320 usable for communications
between an AP and each of a number of stations identified by the AP
or each of a number of stations associated with the AP. For
example, the frame 320 can be formatted as a high efficiency (HE)
frame in accordance with the IEEE 802.11ax amendment to the IEEE
802.11 set of standards. The frame 320 includes a legacy preamble
portion 322 that includes an L-STF 324, an L-LTF 326, and an L-SIG
328. The frame 320 further includes a non-legacy preamble portion
that includes a repeated legacy signaling field (RL-SIG) 330, a
first high efficiency signaling field (HE-SIG-A) 332, a second high
efficiency signaling field (HE-SIG-B) 334, a high efficiency short
training field (HE-STF) 336 and a number of high efficiency long
training fields (HE-LTFs) 338. The frame 320 also can include a
payload or data portion 340 after the preamble. The data portion
340 can include MAC protocol data units (MPDUs), for example, in
the form of an AMPDU.
[0105] The frame 320 may be transmitted over a radio frequency
spectrum band, which may include a set of sub-bands. For example,
the radio frequency spectrum band may have a bandwidth of 80 MHz,
and each of the sub-bands may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz. When the
radio frequency spectrum band includes one or more sub-bands, the
L-STF, L-LTF, and L-SIG fields 324, 326 and 328, respectively, may
be duplicated and transmitted in each of the plurality of
sub-bands. The information in the RL-SIG field 330 and the HE-SIG-A
field 332 is also duplicated and transmitted in each sub-band as
shown in FIG. 3B.
[0106] The RL-SIG field 330 may indicate to a station that the
frame 320 is an IEEE 802.11ax frame. The HE-SIG-A field 332 may
include high efficiency signaling information usable by stations
other than the number of stations that are identified to receive
downlink communications in the frame 320. The HE-SIG-A field 332
may also include information usable by the identified number of
stations to decode the HE-SIG-B field 334. The HE-SIG-B field 334
may include high efficiency signaling information usable by the
number of stations identified to receive downlink communications in
the frame 320. More specifically, the HE-SIG-B field 334 may
include information usable by the number of stations to decode data
received in the data portion 340. The HE-SIG-B field 334 may be
encoded separately from the HE-SIG-A field 332.
[0107] HE WLAN (HEW) preambles can be used to schedule multiple
devices, such as STAs 115, for multi-user simultaneous
transmissions (for example, using multi-user orthogonal frequency
division multiple access (MU-OFDMA) or multi-user multiple-input,
multiple-output (MU-MIMO) techniques). A HEW signaling field may be
used to signal a resource allocation pattern to multiple receiving
STAs 115. The HEW signaling field can include a common user field
that is decodable by multiple STAs 115, as well as a resource
allocation field. The resource allocation field can indicate
resource unit distributions to multiple STAs 115 and indicate which
resource units in a resource unit distribution correspond to
MU-MIMO transmissions and which resource units correspond to OFDMA
transmissions. The HEW signaling field also can include, subsequent
to the common user field, dedicated station-specific signaling
fields that are assigned to particular STAs 115 and used to
schedule resources and to indicate the scheduling to other devices
of the wireless communication system.
[0108] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an example AP 400 for use in
wireless communication. For example, the AP 400 may be an example
of aspects of the AP 105 described with reference to FIG. 1. The AP
400 can be configured to send and receive frames (also referred to
herein as transmissions or communications) of the wireless
communication system conforming to an IEEE 802.11 standard (such as
the 802.11ac or 802.11ax amendments to the 802.11 family of
standards), as well as to encode and decode such frames. The AP 400
includes a processor 410, a memory 420, at least one transceiver
430 and at least one antenna 440. In some implementations, the AP
400 also includes one or both of an AP communications module 460
and a network communications module 470. Each of the components (or
"modules") described with reference to FIG. 4 can communicate with
one another, directly or indirectly, over at least one bus 405.
[0109] The memory 420 can include random access memory (RAM) and
read-only memory (ROM). The memory 420 also can store processor- or
computer-executable software code 425 containing instructions that,
when executed by the processor 410, cause the processor to perform
various functions described herein for wireless communication,
including generation and transmission of a downlink frame and
reception of an uplink frame.
[0110] The processor 410 can include an intelligent hardware device
such as, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a
microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC),
or a programmable logic device (PLD) such as a field programmable
gate array (FPGA), among other possibilities. The processor 410
processes information received through the transceiver 430, the AP
communications module 460, and the network communications module
470. The processor 410 also can process information to be sent to
the transceiver 430 for transmission through the antenna 440,
information to be sent to the AP communications module 460, and
information to be sent to the network communications module 470.
The processor 410 can generally be configured to perform various
operations related to generating and transmitting a downlink frame
and receiving an uplink frame.
[0111] The transceiver 430 can include a modem to modulate packets
and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 440 for
transmission, as well as to demodulate packets received from the
antenna 440. The transceiver 430 can be implemented as at least one
radio frequency (RF) transmitter and at least one separate RF
receiver. The transceiver 430 can communicate bi-directionally, via
the antenna 440, with at least one STA 115 as, for example, shown
in FIG. 1. Although only one transceiver 430 and one antenna 440
are shown in FIG. 4, the AP 400 can typically include multiple
transceivers 430 and antennas 440. For example, in some AP
implementations, the AP 400 can include multiple transmit antennas
(each with a corresponding transmit chain) and multiple receive
antennas (each with a corresponding receive chain). The AP 400 may
communicate with a core network 480 (including the cloud 125, the
controller 130, or both) through the network communications module
470. The system also may communicate with other APs, such as APs
105, using the AP communications module 460.
[0112] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an example controller 500
for use in wireless communication. For example, the controller 500
may be an example of aspects of the controller 130 described with
reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this example, the controller 500
includes hardware (such as dedicated hardware) to perform the
functions described herein. In other examples, the controller 500
may be a logical entity whose functions are executed by one or more
other computing devices (for example, one or more APs 105 or other
devices in the core network or the cloud 125).
[0113] The controller 500 may include a processor 510, a memory
520, at least one transceiver 530 and, In some examples, at least
one antenna 540. In some implementations, the controller 500 also
may include one or both of an AP communications module 560 and a
network communications module 570. Each of the components (or
"modules") described with reference to FIG. 5 may communicate with
one another, directly or indirectly, over at least one bus 505.
[0114] The memory 520 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 520 also
may store processor- or computer-executable software code 525
containing instructions that, when executed by the processor 510,
cause the processor to perform various functions described herein
for wireless communication, including generation and transmission
of a downlink frame and reception of an uplink frame.
[0115] The processor 510 may include an intelligent hardware device
such as, for example, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, or a PLD
such as an FPGA, among other possibilities. The processor 510
processes information received through the transceiver 530, the AP
communications module 560, and the network communications module
570. The processor 510 also may process information to be sent to
the transceiver 530 for transmission through the antenna 540,
information to be sent to the AP communications module 560, and
information to be sent to the network communications module 570.
The processor 510 may generally be configured to perform various
operations related to generating and transmitting a downlink frame
and receiving an uplink frame.
[0116] The transceiver 530 may include a modem to modulate packets
and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 540 for
transmission, as well as to demodulate packets received from the
antenna 540. The transceiver 530 may be implemented as at least one
RF transmitter and at least one separate RF receiver. The
transceiver 530 may communicate bi-directionally, via the antenna
540, with at least one STA 115 as, for example, shown in FIG. 1.
Although only one transceiver 530 and one antenna 540 are shown in
FIG. 5, the controller 500 may include multiple transceivers 530
and multiple antennas 540. The controller 500 may communicate with
a core network 580 (including the cloud 125) through the network
communications module 570. The controller 500 also may communicate
with APs, such as APs 105, using the AP communications module 560.
In some examples, the controller 500 may be configured to send and
receive communications with other components (for example, APs 105,
STAs 115, or the cloud 125) that conform to an IEEE 802.11 standard
(such as the 802.11ac or 802.11ax amendments to the 802.11 family
of standards), as well as to encode and decode such
communications.
[0117] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example STA 600 for use
in wireless communication. For example, the STA 600 may be an
example of aspects of the STA 115 described with reference to FIG.
1. The STA 600 can be configured to send and receive frames (also
referred to herein as transmissions or communications) of the
wireless communication system conforming to an IEEE 802.11 standard
(such as the 802.11ac or 802.11ax amendments to the 802.11 family
of standards), as well as to encode and decode such frames. The STA
600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620, at least one
transceiver 630 and at least one antenna 640. In some
implementations, the STA 600 additionally includes one or more of
sensors 650, a display 660 and a user interface (UI) 670 (such as a
touchscreen or keypad). Each of the components (or "modules")
described with reference to FIG. 6 can communicate with one
another, directly or indirectly, over at least one bus 605.
[0118] The memory 620 can include RAM and ROM. The memory 620 also
can store processor- or computer-executable software code 625
containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor
610 to perform various functions described herein for wireless
communication, including reception of a downlink frame and
generation and transmission of an uplink frame.
[0119] The processor 610 includes an intelligent hardware device
such as, for example, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC or a PLD
such as an FPGA, among other possibilities. The processor 610
processes information received through the transceiver 630 as well
as information to be sent to the transceiver 630 for transmission
through the antenna 640. The processor 610 can be configured to
perform various operations related to receiving a downlink frame
and generating and transmitting an uplink frame.
[0120] The transceiver 630 can include a modem to modulate packets
and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 640 for
transmission, as well as to demodulate packets received from the
antenna 640. The transceiver 630 can be implemented as at least one
RF transmitter and at least one separate RF receiver. The
transceiver 630 can communicate bi-directionally, via the antenna
640, with at least one AP 105 as, for example, shown in FIG. 1.
Although only one transceiver 630 and one antenna 640 are shown in
FIG. 6, the STA 600 can include two or more antennas. For example,
in some STA implementations, the STA 600 can include multiple
transmit antennas (each with a corresponding transmit chain) and
multiple receive antennas (each with a corresponding receive
chain).
[0121] FIG. 7 shows an example of a swim lane diagram 700 for use
in wireless communication. The swim lane diagram 700 illustrates
how a controller 705 may manage the operations of multiple APs (for
example, a first AP 710 and a second AP 715) to enable those
multiple APs to communicate with the STAs 720 in an efficient
manner. The controller 705 may be an example of the controllers 130
or 500 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5. The APs
710 and 715 may be examples of the APs 105 and 400 described with
references to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5. The STAs 720 may be examples of
the STAs 115 and 600 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6.
In some instances, specific functions are described as being
performed by a single AP. Unless otherwise noted, any function
performed by the first AP 710 or the second AP 715 may,
additionally or alternatively, be performed by another AP that is
coupled with the controller 705.
[0122] At 725, one or more STAs 720 may be associated with either
the first AP 710, or the second AP 715. The STAs 720 may exchange
messages with the APs 710 and 715 as part of association processes.
For example, a STA 720 may send a probe request to one or more of
the APs 710 and 715. Upon receiving the probe, the first AP 710 may
transmit a probe response. The STA 720 may transmit an
authentication request based on receiving the probe response. The
first AP 710 may transmit an authentication response based on
receiving the authentication request. The STA 720 may transmit an
association request based on the STA 720 being authenticated (as
indicated by the authentication response). The first AP 710 may
transmit an association response based on receiving the association
request. In some examples, the controller 705 and the APs 710 and
715 exchange one or more association messages including multiple
requests and/or a set of responses. After STA 720 is authenticated
by and associated with the first AP 710, the STA 720 and the first
AP 710 may exchange communications in both uplink and downlink
directions. The association process may be repeated for any
association or pairing of AP and STA.
[0123] At 730, the controller 705 may initiate an establishment
procedure that allows the controller 705 to begin performing
scheduling functions for the first AP 710 and the second AP 715.
The establishment procedure may include the controller 705
transmitting one or more requests 735 to the APs 710 and 715. The
requests 735 may indicate what information or statistics the
controller 705 would like the APs 710 and 715 to report to the
controller 705. The requests 735 may also include indicators of
timing requirements for reporting the information or statistics.
Timing requirements may include periodic or event-based reports. In
some examples, one or more of the requests 735 may request that the
APs 710 and 715 collect statistics or other information about
signals associated with or received by the APs 710 and 715, collect
statistics or other information about STAs 720 associated with the
respective APs 710 and 715, or collect statistics or other
information about any devices from which the respective APs receive
signals (whether associated STAs, non-associated STAs, other APs,
or other devices, or a combination thereof).
[0124] In some examples, as part of the establishment procedure, an
AP 710 may send a message to the controller 705 when the AP is
booting up. The controller 705 may respond with another message to
establish the connection between the AP 710 and the controller
705.
[0125] At 740, one or both of the first AP 710 and the second AP
715 may collect statistics or other information 745 (hereinafter
"information 745") to be reported to the controller 705. The APs
710 and 715 may collect the information 745 based on receiving at
least one request 735.
[0126] The APs 710 and 715 may identify information 745 about
signals received by the respective AP. The signals received by the
respective AP may be used to determine other information 745 about
the signals themselves, information 745 about the communication
links established using the signals, or information 745 about the
devices that transmitted the signals (for example, STAs 720, other
APs, or other devices). The APs 710 and 715 may identify
information 745 about stations that have an established
communication link with the respective AP (for example, STAs
associated with the respective AP). The APs 710 and 715 may
identify information 745 about stations that do not have an
established communication link with the respective AP (for example,
STAs not associated with the respective AP). The APs 710 and 715
may identify information 745 about other APs. In some examples, the
first AP 710 or the second AP 715 may identify information 745 or
statistics about a first group of STAs 720 that are associated with
the respective AP and a second group of STAs 720 that are not
associated with the respective AP.
[0127] In some examples, the information 745 may include an
indicator of whether an AP includes traffic pending for at least
one station, or the amount of pending traffic, such as the number
of bytes or packets. The amount of pending traffic may be indicated
for each quality of service (QoS) category, or an access category
(AC), or a traffic identifier (TID) of the pending traffic. In some
examples, the information 745 may include one or more of a list of
stations tracked by the respective AP, a signal quality indicator
associated with a communication link between the AP and a STA 720,
a beacon report about beacons received from other APs, client
statistics, BSS statistics, or a power state of a STA 720. In some
examples, the information 745 may include a power save state of a
STA 720, whether associated or not associated with any given
AP.
[0128] In some examples, the APs 710 and 715 may report to the
controller 705 per-AP and per-STA statistics as part of the
information 745. Some reports may be generated and transmitted to
the controller 705 in a periodic fashion and some reports may be
generated and transmitted responsive to the occurrence of an
event.
[0129] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may report a list of STAs 720
tracked by the AP 710 to the controller 705. The AP 710 may
maintain a list of client MAC addresses for which specific
measurements and events are tracked and reported to the controller
705. In some instances, the AP 710 may update the list based on
receiving one or more command messages from the controller 705. A
STA 720 having a MAC address that is in the list may be referred to
as a tracked STA. In some examples, the AP 710 may clear the list
of tracked STAs based on receiving a command message from the
controller 705. In some examples, signal quality indicators
provided by one or more of the APs 710 and 715 may be associated
with one or more STAs 720 included on the list of tracked STAs.
[0130] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may report one or more signal
quality indicators associated with a communication link between the
AP 710 and a STA 720. The signal quality indicator may include a
received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a received signal
received power (RSRP), a received signal received quality (RSRQ), a
signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), a signal-to-noise
ratio (SNR), or a combination thereof. The AP 710 may track the
RSSIs associated with received uplink transmissions, on a per-STA
basis, for each tracked STA, whether associated or non-associated
with the AP 710. The AP 710 may periodically report the RSSI to the
controller 705. For each tracked STA, the AP 710 may send to the
controller 705 a periodic signal quality indicator report by using
a message. In some examples, a single message may include signal
quality indicators for more than one tracked STA 720. An AP 710 may
send the signal quality indicator report for the tracked STAs once
every report period. The signal quality indicator for a STA 720 may
be based on the reception of data or control management frames from
that STA 720, even if not addressed to the receiving AP 710. In
some examples, the information 745 may include one or more signal
quality indicators associated with a communication link between the
AP 710 and a STA 720. In some examples, the signal quality
information is for STAs 720 associated with the AP 710 or STAs 720
not associated with the AP 710, or both.
[0131] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may transmit a report to the
controller 705 that includes information 745 or statistics about
received beacons sent by neighboring APs. For example, the AP 710
may send a message to the controller 705 reporting information
regarding the beacons received from the other APs. In some
examples, the message about the beacons may be reported according
to period indicated in a control message received from the
controller 705. The message may include data for beacons received
since the last transmission of the message. In some examples, only
beacons with an SSID equal to a service set identifier field
indicated in the control message are reported.
[0132] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may report per-STA statistics to
the controller 705. In some implementations, the information 745
may include the pre-STA statistics. The per-STA statistics may be
collected over a measurement interval identified by a start timing
synchronization function (TSF) and/or an end TSF, and reported
using a periodicity that may be different than the measurement
interval. In some examples, the measurement interval may be equal
to the period for transmitting the message (for example, message
760) or may be different than the period (additional details about
the measurement interval and the report period are described herein
with reference to FIG. 9). In some examples the start TSF and end
TSF of a measurement interval are the same as the start TSF and end
TSF of a schedule interval, respectively, as shown for example in
FIG. 9. The information 745 may include statistics for one or more
STAs, and per each STA it may include statistics for one or more
measurement intervals.
[0133] In some instances, the AP 710 may be configured to send
per-STA statistics (for example, as part of the information 745)
for STAs 720 when the respective STAs 720 are in a power save
state, when the respective STAs 720 have transitioned to a power
save state after the last report, or when there is a change in at
least one of the metrics to be reported, or a combination thereof.
In some examples, the AP 710 may report the following statistics
(for example, as part of the information 745) on a per-STA basis:
the STA's MAC address, a queue length when the report is generated,
whether the STA 720 is in an active state or a power save state, a
quality of service (QoS) metric (such as an air time target, a
delay requirement, a latency requirement, or a throughput
requirement). Each report for a STA 720 may include, for each of
one or more measurement intervals, a measurement interval
identifier, a packet error rate (PER) during the measurement
interval, a retry rate associated with the transmitted physical
layer convergence procedure (PLCP) protocol data units (PPDUs)
during the measurement interval, the last data modulation and
coding scheme (MCS) used during a measurement interval, air time
used by the STA 720 during the measurement interval, or the number
of bytes (or MSDUs) successfully sent by the STA 720 during the
measurement interval, or a combination thereof. In some examples,
some of these statistics may be provided as averages averaged
within a measurement interval or across multiple measurement
intervals.
[0134] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may report BSS statistics to the
controller 705. In some implementations, the information 745 may
include the BSS statistics. In some instances, the BSS statistics
may be reported periodically using a period indicated in a control
message.
[0135] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may transmit a report to the
controller 705 responsive to a STA 720 becoming associated with, or
re-associating with, the AP 710. The AP 710 may send a message to
the controller 705 that includes the report. The report may
indicate one or more identifiers of the associated or re-associated
STA as well as other information (for example, an associated
timestamp or information regarding capabilities of the STA).
[0136] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may transmit a report to the
controller 705 responsive to determining that a STA 720 or the AP
710 has updated a block acknowledgement (BA) session. In some
implementations, the information 745 may include the report about
the BA session. The AP 710 may send a message to the controller 705
indicating the updated BA session. The controller 705 may then
transmit an indication about the updated BA session to other
APs.
[0137] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may transmit a report to the
controller 705 responsive to determining that a STA 720 has updated
its power state (for example, a power save state). In some
implementations, the information 745 may include the report about
the power state. The AP 710 may send a message to the controller
705 indicating the updated power state (for example, a power save
state).
[0138] In some examples, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP
controlled by the controller 705) may report a service stop event
associated with a STA 720. In some implementations, the information
745 may include the report about the service stop. The AP 710 may
send a message to the controller 705 (or another AP) indicating the
service stop.
[0139] After collecting the information 745 (or statistics)
described herein, the AP 710 (or AP 715 or any other AP controlled
by the controller 705) may transmit the information 745 to the
controller 705. The information 745 may be reported in a single
message or in multiple messages. In some examples, the information
745 may include association information for a STA 720 or capability
information for a STA 720 associated with the one or more APs 710
or 715. In some examples, the information 745 may include
association information or capability information indexed based on
each associated STA 720.
[0140] Upon receiving information 745 from each of one or more APs
710 and 715, the controller 705 may use the information 745 to
manage the network and schedule resources to be used or allocated
by one or more of the APs 710 and 715. For example, the controller
705 may divide up a time-based resource into one or more time
intervals. The controller 705 may then determine transmission
parameters for each AP during each time interval. This way, the
controller 705 may be configured to improve the efficiency of the
network. In some examples, the controller 705 may determine
conditions of communication links between APs and STAs in the
network and may use the determined conditions when determining the
time intervals or the transmission parameters or both.
[0141] At block 750, the controller 705 may (optionally) determine
time intervals to be used by the APs 710 and 715 to communicate
with STAs 720. The controller 705 may divide a specific duration
into different time intervals. In some examples, the specific
duration may be referred to as a schedule. The schedule may include
any number of time intervals. The time intervals may be any length
of time that is less than or equal to the length of time of the
schedule. One or more transmission parameters for each one or more
respective APs may be associated with each of the time intervals.
In some examples, the controller 705 may determine whether a time
interval is associated with uplink signals or downlink signals. The
controller 705 is configured to determine time intervals,
transmission parameters, or both for both uplink communications and
downlink communications. Additional details about the time
intervals are described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0142] In some examples, one or more time intervals associated with
a first AP 710 may (optionally) be aligned in time with one or more
time intervals associated with a second AP 715 (in other words, one
or more time intervals may be shared by the first AP 710 and the
second AP 715). In some examples, time intervals aligned in time
may share a common start time, a common end time, or both a common
start time and a common end time. In some other cases, the time
intervals associated with the first AP 710 may be different than
the time intervals associated with the second AP 715. A first time
interval may be different than a second time interval when a start
time of the time intervals are different, an end time of the time
intervals are different, or transmission parameters associated with
the time intervals are different, or a combination thereof.
[0143] At block 755, the controller 705 may determine one or more
transmission parameters associated with communications of the APs
710 and 715. In some examples, the one or more transmission
parameters may be associated with each time interval. The
transmission parameters may define one or more operations that the
APs 710 and 715 may be permitted to do during the respective time
interval or that may be permitted to do when performing specific
communications. For example, an operation that may be indicated by
a transmission parameter may include that the AP 710 is permitted
to communicate with one or more stations or a group of STAs 720
during the time interval or that specific communications may be
communicated with one or more stations or a group of STAs 720.
Other examples of an operation that may be indicated by the
transmission parameter may include one or more beamforming
operations, one or more backoff operations, one or more enhanced
distributed coordination function (DSF) channel access (EDCA)
operations, one or more energy detection operations, one or more
clear channel assessment (CCA) operations, one or more
acknowledgement (ACK) policy operations, one or more dummy packet
operations, one or more request-to-send (RTS) operations, one or
more power management operations, one or more rate adaptation
operations, or any combination thereof. The one or more operations
performed by the AP 710 or 715 may be indicated by the transmission
parameters or information in the transmission parameters.
[0144] In some example implementations, a transmission parameter
determined by the controller 705 may include an indicator of what
STAs 720 each of the APs 710 and 715 is permitted to communicate
with during, for example, the time interval. For example, the AP
710 may be permitted to communicate with less than all of the STAs
720 that are associated with the AP 710. In other examples, the
transmission parameter may indicate that the AP 710 is permitted or
instructed to select which STAs 720 to communicate with. In yet
other examples, the transmission parameter may indicate that the AP
710 is to be silent during the time interval and not communicate
with any STAs 720. In yet other examples, the transmission
parameter may indicate that the AP 710 is allowed to communicate
with all of the associated STAs 720 during the time interval.
[0145] In some examples, the controller 705 may identify the STAs
720 permitted to communicate with the AP 710 during the time
interval individually. Additionally or alternatively, the
controller 705 may identify groups of STAs 720 for communication
with the AP 710 during the time interval. In some implementations,
the controller 705 may identify identifiers for the STAs or the
groups of STAs and communicate those identifiers to the APs 710 and
715.
[0146] In some example implementations, a transmission parameter
determined by the controller 705 may include configuration
parameters for the schedule and (optionally) one or more of its
associated time intervals. In some examples, configuration
parameters may be defined on a per-time-interval basis. In some
examples, each of one or more of the time intervals may be
associated with a time interval type, in which case the
configuration parameters may be defined on a per-interval-type
basis. The controller 705 may transmit the configuration parameters
to each AP at a startup time or when significant changes to the
configuration of the schedule are made. The controller 705 may
transmit a message to the APs 710 and 715 periodically that
includes the current configuration for the schedule and its time
intervals. The message transmitted by the controller 705 may
include a field that indicates a time for implementing the new
configuration. In some examples, after receiving the new
configuration information from the controller 705, the AP 710 may
implement the new configuration when the local timing
synchronization function (TSF) of the AP 710 is equal to the time
included in the field of the message.
[0147] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a backoff parameter for the AP 710. The
backoff parameter may indicate whether a backoff procedure is to be
used by the AP 710 during an associated time interval.
[0148] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include parameters for EDCA. The EDCA parameters
may define one or more of a minimum contention window parameter, a
maximum contention window parameter, a transmission opportunity
parameter, or an arbitration inter-frame spacing parameter.
[0149] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include an energy detection threshold parameter.
This parameter may indicate information for a primary channel.
[0150] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a CCA configuration parameter. This
parameter may indicate that the AP 710 is to use one or more of a
set of CCA configurations. A CCA configuration may identify a
specific configuration of deferral parameters, such as an energy
detection parameter, a packet detection parameter, and a network
allocation vector (NAV). In at least one of the configurations,
each AP including AP 710 may be provided a list of colors
associated with the controller 705. The NAV procedures implemented
may be based on whether the AP 710 receives a PLCP protocol data
unit (PPDU) from an AP with a color listed in the list of
colors.
[0151] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include an ACK policy parameter. This parameter
may indicate whether the AP 710 is to use one or more of an
immediate acknowledgement policy during the time interval, a
delayed block acknowledgement (BA) policy during the time interval,
or whether the acknowledgement policy is to be determined by the AP
710.
[0152] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a dummy packet parameter. This parameter
may indicate whether the AP 710 is to send dummy packets during
portions of a time interval during which the AP 710 is not
transmitting or receiving traffic.
[0153] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include an RTS parameter. This parameter may
indicate whether the AP 710 is permitted to use RTS during the time
interval. In some examples, the controller 705 may send a message
to an AP 710 to configure the usage of RTS messages on a per-STA
basis. In some examples, the RTS setting from the message may be
overridden by the RTS parameter included in a schedule interval
definition. For STAs for which no explicit RTS configuration is
received from the controller 705, the AP 710 may use its default
RTS policy or the policy indicated in a schedule interval.
[0154] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a power management state change of a STA
720. This parameter may be used to make sure that STAs can safely
transition out of a power save state. Buffered data or management
frames may be sent in accordance with the schedule.
[0155] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a rate adaptation parameter. This
parameter may be based on an expected SINR for a given time
interval. For example, transmission parameters assigned to a STA
720 for a first interval may be different than transmission
parameters assigned to the STA 720 during a second interval. The
expected SINR for each of these time intervals may be different
based on the different transmission parameters.
[0156] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include a beamforming parameter. This parameter
may indicate whether a beamforming operation is permitted during
the time interval. In some examples, this parameter may indicate
one or more characteristics of the permitted beamforming.
[0157] In some examples, a transmission parameter determined by the
controller 705 may include one or more types of frames that are
permitted (for example, to be communicated) during the time
interval.
[0158] In some examples, the information indicated by the
transmission parameter may be formatted in accordance with, but not
limited to, the IEEE 1905.1 standard, the IEEE 802.11 standard,
other standards, or combinations thereof. Table 1 indicates an
example of a message which may follow the 1905.01 standard and
include one or more type-length-value elements, sometimes referred
to as TLV elements. For example, the message may include, but is
not limited to, one or more type fields, one or more length fields,
one or more value
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 An example of a message. tlvType 1 octet
0xXX Information or Control tlvLength 2 octets variable Number of
octets in ensuing field tlvValue 1 octet k Content of the
message
fields, or a combination thereof.
[0159] In some examples, the information indicated by the
transmission parameter may be an example of an Information Element
which may follow the 802.11 message which may include one or more
type-length-content elements, sometimes referred to as TLC
elements. Table 2 indicates an example of a message which may
additionally or alternatively include one or more type fields, one
or more length fields, and/or one or more content fields.
[0160] As an example, the one or more type fields may identify a
set of messages and/or information included in the set of messages.
In some examples, the messages and/or the information included in
the set of messages may be a set and/or a subset of a control
message from the cloud controller to the AP 710 and/or the cloud
125 to the AP 710. Additionally or alternatively, the messages
and/or the information included in the set of messages may be a set
and/or a subset of a control message from the AP 710 to the cloud
controller and/or the
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 An example of a message. Element ID Length
Content
cloud 125 to the AP 710. For example, the set and/or subset of the
information messages may indicate one or more value fields, one or
more content fields, and/or one or more type fields, among other
fields.
[0161] Additionally or alternatively, the one or more value fields
and/or the one or more content fields may include one or more
subfields describing the information of one or more of the messages
related to the set and/or subset indicated by the one or more type
field. For example, Table 3 represents a message with the
type-length-value element information. In another example, Table 4
indicates a case of an Information Element message.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 An example of a message. tlvType 1 octet
0xXX Per-STA Statistics tlvLength 2 octets variable Number of
octets in ensuing field. tlvValue 1 octet k Number of STAs reported
2/4 octets MAC Address or AID 1 Octet RSSI 2 Octet BytesTx 2 Octet
BytesRx 2 Octet Queued Bytes 2 Octet Average Queue Len
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 An example of a message. Element Length
Content Number MAC RSSI BytesTx BytesRx Queued Average ID of STAs
Address Bytes Queue reported or AID Length
[0162] After determining the transmission parameters, the
controller 705 may transmit one or more messages 760 to the APs 710
and 715 (or any other AP controlled by the controller 705) that
include the transmission parameters. The transmission parameters
may be transmitted in a single message or in multiple messages.
[0163] As described herein, each of the time intervals may be
defined with respect to a time interval type. In some examples, the
controller 705 may determine the type of a time interval. The type
of the time interval may refer to an arrangement of transmission
parameters for the time interval. In some instances, the
arrangement of transmission parameters for each type of time
interval may be preconfigured or predetermined. In such instances,
the preconfigured arrangements may be stored in a memory of the
controller 705, memories within the APs 710 or 715, or in both the
controller 705 and in the APs 710 and 715. In some examples, the
arrangement of transmission parameters for a given time interval
type may be preconfigured or predetermined such that the controller
705 and one or more of the APs 710 and 715 may know or have stored
the predetermined arrangements. The controller 705 may indicate the
type of the time interval in a message 760 and APs 710 and 715 may
determine the transmission parameters based on the indication of
the type of the time interval.
[0164] In some examples, the types of time intervals can include an
AP-time type, a silent type, and one or more additional types.
These types are described for illustrative purposes. Transmission
parameters may be arranged in any manner to form a type of a time
interval. Additional details about the types of time intervals are
described with reference to FIG. 9.
[0165] During a time interval of the AP-time type, the AP 710 may
not be under the control of the controller 705. During an AP-time
time interval, the AP 710 may decide to use the surrounding
wireless medium as it chooses. The AP 710 may serve any STA 720
during an AP-time time interval. In some examples, AP 710 may
communicate using regular EDCA during a time interval that has the
type AP-time. In some examples, the AP-time type indicates that at
least one access point may serve any station with the access point
during the time interval.
[0166] During a time interval of the silent type, the AP 710 may be
configured to not send any PPDUs containing data traffic. In some
examples, the AP 710 may be configured to send messages or
information related to a power save state during a time interval
having the silent type. For example, the AP 710 may receive a
transmission that indicates a power management state change of a
STA 720 and respond accordingly. In some examples, the silent type
indicates that at least one access point (but typically not all
access points) does not transmit data packets during the time
interval.
[0167] Additional types of time intervals may refer to different
collections of transmission parameters that the controller 705 may
select as an entire collection. The controller 705 may communicate
the selection to the APs 710 and 715. Many additional types of time
intervals associated with the collections of transmission
parameters may be defined by the controller 705, the APs 710 or
715, or a combination thereof.
[0168] At 765, the APs 710 and 715 may communicate with STAs 720
based on the time intervals and associated transmission parameters
received from the controller 705. In some examples, this may cause
the first AP 710 and the second AP 715 to coordinate at least some
of their communications.
[0169] FIG. 8 shows an example of a timing diagram 800 for use in
wireless communication. The timing diagram 800 illustrates how a
controller (for example, controller 705) may (optionally) divide up
a time unit, such as a schedule 805, into a set of time intervals
810. The timing diagram 800 also illustrates how a controller may
periodically inform an AP (for example, AP 710 or AP 715) about
changes to the time intervals 810, including changes in one or more
transmission parameters, using one or more messages 815. The one or
more messages 815 may be examples of the messages 760 described
with reference to FIG. 7.
[0170] A schedule 805 may refer to a time-based resource that the
controller may divide into a set of time intervals. The duration of
the schedule 805 may itself be a parameter that is adjustable. For
example, the duration of a schedule 805 may be of any length of
time defined by a schedule definition. The schedule definition may
define a sequence of time intervals and durations of time
intervals. In some examples, a schedule 805 may span approximately
50 milliseconds (ms). The duration of each time interval 810 may
range between approximately 1 ms and 40 ms. In some examples, time
intervals 810 are mutually exclusive; that is, not overlapping.
[0171] Upon the completion of a schedule 805, an AP may repeat the
schedule 805 until an updated schedule definition is received from
the controller. Said another way, the controller may group a
discrete number of time intervals 810 together to define a schedule
805 and the AP may repeat the schedule (repeating the time
intervals from schedule duration to schedule duration until an
updated schedule definition is received. For example, the timing
diagram shows that an AP may use four identical schedules 805
sequentially before a new message 815 is received to change the
schedule definition.
[0172] The controller may identify a duration for each time
interval 810. The controller may also identify a start time, a stop
time, or both for each time interval 810. The controller may also
identify an order for (the sequence of) the time intervals 810
within the schedule 805. In some examples, the controller may
identify a type of each time interval 810. The controller may
identify the STAs that it permits to be served during each time
interval 810. The configuration parameters for the schedule and for
the constituent time intervals, or interval types, may define a
transmission mode for each time interval. The controller may
identify the type of each time interval and the related
transmission parameters (for example, medium access parameters to
be used by the AP during the time interval 810 such as EDCA, CCA).
The controller may also determine other mode settings or
transmission parameters associated with the time interval 810 (for
example, but not limited to, short interface space (SIFS) bursting,
ACK policy, and/or fairness rules).
[0173] During some types of time intervals, for example, an AP-time
type time interval 810, an AP is permitted to determine which STAs
it will communicate with. In some examples, the AP may select the
MCS to use during the time interval 810, PPDU duration and start
times, or other parameters.
[0174] FIG. 9 shows an example of a timing diagram 900 for use in
wireless communication. The timing diagram 900 shows a single
schedule 905. The timing diagram 900 shows time intervals 910
assigned to have specific types, how measurement intervals 915
correspond to the time intervals 910, and how an AP may
periodically inform the controller about the measurements through
measurement reporting 920. The schedule 905 may be an example of a
schedule 805 described with reference to FIG. 8. The time intervals
910 may be examples of the time intervals 810 described with
reference to FIG. 8. The reports 920 may be examples of the
information 745 described with reference to FIG. 7.
[0175] Each time interval 910 in the schedule 905 is assigned a
specific type. For example, the time intervals 910 are shown as
being assigned AP-time, silent-time, or other types of
communication parameters. The controller and the AP may implement
one or more operations based on the transmission parameters
associated with the type of the time interval 910. Examples of an
operation performable by the AP that may be indicated by the
transmission parameter may include one or more beamforming
operations, one or more backoff operations, one or more EDCA
operations, one or more energy detection operations, one or more
CCA operations, one or more ACK policy operations, one or more
dummy packet operations, one or more RTS operations, one or more
power management operations, one or more rate adaptation
operations, or any combination thereof.
[0176] The controller may also determine other transmission
parameters not expressly identified in the definition of a
particular type of a time interval. For example, for some time
intervals 910, the controller may identify STAs that are permitted
to communicate with the AP during the time interval 910. While the
time intervals 910 are shown having particular transmission
parameters and associated types, a time interval 910 may include
any combination of transmission parameters described herein.
[0177] The schedule 905 also includes multiple measurement
intervals 915. Each measurement interval 915 is an interval over
which an AP collects information or statistics to be reported back
to the controller. In some examples, each measurement interval 915
may be equivalent to (aligned in time to and of the same duration
as) a respective one of the time intervals 910 of the schedule 905.
In some other cases, measurement intervals 915 may be periodic
having fixed durations independent of the start times and durations
of the time intervals 910. In such cases, the fixed duration of the
measurement interval 915 may be determined by the AP.
[0178] Periodically, the AP may report the measurements taken
during one or more measurement intervals. The AP may transmit a
report 920 to the controller that includes information or
statistics measured during one or more measurement intervals 915.
In some examples, the period for transmitting the reports 920 may
be twice every schedule 905. In other cases, the period for
transmitting the reports 920 may be once every schedule 905, three
times every schedule 905, four times every schedule 905, or at any
other suitable frequency. In some examples, the report 920 may be
transmitted once every measurement interval 915. In some examples,
the report 920 may be transmitted once every time interval 910.
[0179] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a device 1005 for use in
wireless communication. The device 1005 may be an example of
aspects of a controller as described herein. The device 1005 may
include a receiver 1010, a communications manager 1015, and a
transmitter 1020. The communications manager 1015 can be
implemented, at least in part, by one or both of a modem and a
processor. Each of these components may be in communication with
one another (for example, via one or more buses).
[0180] Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user
data, or control information associated with various information
channels (for example, but not limited to, control channels, data
channels, and/or information related to techniques for controlling
a network). Information may be passed on to other components of the
device. The receiver 1010 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1320 described with reference to FIG. 13. The receiver
1010 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0181] The communications manager 1015 may receive information from
one or more access points, determine time intervals to be used by
the access points to communicate with one or more stations based on
the information from the access points, determine one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval, the one
or more transmission parameters associated with each time interval
defining, for the respective time interval, one or more operations
that at least one of the one or more access points is permitted to
perform during the respective time interval, and transmit at least
one message to at least one of the one or more access points that
includes the time intervals and the one or more transmission
parameters associated with each time interval.
[0182] The communications manager 1015, or its sub-components, may
be physically located at different locations, including being
distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at
different physical locations by one or more physical components. In
some examples, the communications manager 1015, or its
sub-components, may be a separate and distinct component in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some
examples, the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components,
may be combined with one or more other hardware components,
including but not limited to an input/output (I/O) component, a
transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or
more other components described in the present disclosure, or a
combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the
present disclosure.
[0183] Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020
may be collocated with a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1320 described with reference to FIG. 13. The
transmitter 1020 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0184] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a device 1105 for use in
wireless communication. The device 1105 may be an example of
aspects of a device 1005 or a controller 130 and 705 as described
herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a
communications manager 1115, and a transmitter 1140. The
communications manager 1115 can be implemented, at least in part,
by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these components
may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or
more buses).
[0185] Receiver 1110 may receive information such as packets, user
data, or control information associated with various information
channels (for example, but not limited to, control channels, data
channels, and/or information related to techniques for controlling
a network). Information may be passed on to other components of the
device. The receiver 1110 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1320 described with reference to FIG. 13. The receiver
1110 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0186] The information manager 1120 may receive information from a
set of access points about signals received by the access points.
The time interval manager 1125 may optionally determine time
intervals to be used by the access points to communicate with one
or more stations based on the information from the access
points.
[0187] The transmission parameter manager 1130 may determine one or
more transmission parameters and one or more operations that at
least one access point of the one or more access points is
permitted to perform during a respective time interval based at
least in part on the information. Additionally or alternatively,
the transmission parameter manager 1130 may optionally determine
one or more transmission parameters associated with each time
interval, the one or more transmission parameters associated with
each time interval defining, for the respective time interval, one
or more operations that one or more respective access points of the
set of access points are permitted to perform during the respective
time interval.
[0188] The message manager 1135 may transmit at least one message
to at least one of the one or more access points, the message
indicating the one or more operations that at least one of the
access points is permitted to perform. Additionally or
alternatively, the message manager 1135 may optionally transmit at
least one message to the access points that includes the time
intervals and the one or more transmission parameters associated
with each time interval.
[0189] Transmitter 1140 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1140
may be collocated with a receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 1140 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1320 described with reference to FIG. 13. The
transmitter 1140 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0190] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a communications manager
1205 for use in wireless communication. The communications manager
1205 may include an information manager 1210, a time interval
manager 1215, a transmission parameter manager 1220, a message
manager 1225, a type manager 1230, a station manager 1235, a
communication link manager 1240, a request manager 1245, and a
profile manager 1250. Each of these modules may communicate,
directly or indirectly, with one another (for example, via one or
more buses).
[0191] The information manager 1210 may receive information from
one or more access points. In some examples, receiving information
from a first access point of the set of access points includes
receiving statistics for a first group of stations associated with
the first access point and a second group of stations that are not
associated with the first access point, where determining the time
intervals or determining the one or more transmission parameters
associated with each time interval is based on receiving the
statistics about the first group of stations and the second group
of stations from the first access point.
[0192] In some examples, the information received from the set of
access points includes statistics about communication links between
at least some of the one or more access points and the one or more
stations. In some examples, the information received from the set
of access points includes an indicator of pending traffic for at
least one station of the one or more stations. In some examples,
the information received from the access points includes one or
more of a list of stations tracked by a first access point of the
set of access points, a signal quality indicator associated with a
communication link between the first access point and a station, a
beacon report about beacons received from other access points,
client statistics, basic service set (BSS) statistics, or a power
state of the station.
[0193] In some examples, the information manager 1210 may receive
statistics for a first group of stations associated with a first
access point of the one or more access points and a second group of
stations that are not associated with the first access point, where
determining the time intervals or determining the one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval is based
on receiving the statistics about the first group of stations and
the second group of stations from the first access point.
[0194] In some examples, the information received from the one or
more access points includes association and capabilities
information per associated station. In some examples, the amount of
pending traffic included in the indicator may be indicated per one
or more of a QoS category, or an AC, or a TID of the pending
traffic.
[0195] In some examples, the information received from the one or
more access points includes one or more signal quality indicators
associated with a communication link between a first access point
and a station. In some examples, the station is associated with the
first access point. In some examples, the station is not associated
with the first access point. In some examples, the station is one
of the stations indicated in a tracked list that is communicated in
the at least one message. In some examples, the information
received from the one or more access points includes a beacon
report about beacons received from other access points. In some
examples, the information received from the one or more access
points includes a power state of a station.
[0196] The time interval manager 1215 may determine time intervals
to be used by the access points to communicate with one or more
stations based on the information from the access points. In some
examples, determining whether the time interval is associated with
an uplink signal or a downlink signal, where the at least one
message includes an indication of whether the time interval is
associated with the uplink signal or with the downlink signal.
[0197] The time interval manager 1215 may optionally determine time
intervals to be used by at least one of the one or more access
points to communicate with one or more stations based on the
information from the one or more access points. In some examples,
determining whether the time interval is associated with an uplink
signal or a downlink signal, where the at least one message
includes an indication of whether the time interval is associated
with the uplink signal or with the downlink signal.
[0198] The transmission parameter manager 1220 may determine one or
more transmission parameters associated with each time interval,
the one or more transmission parameters associated with each time
interval defining, for the respective time interval, one or more
operations that one or more respective access points of the set of
access points are permitted to perform during the respective time
interval. In some examples, the one or more transmission parameters
include one or more of instructions to the one or more respective
access points to cause the one or more respective access points to
communicate with stations associated with the one or more
respective access points, a modification to a schedule associated
with the one or more respective access points, a request-to-send
configuration, a clear-to-send configuration, or an indication of a
rate adaptation configuration. In some examples, the transmit
parameters include one or more CCA configuration parameters, one or
more backoff parameters, one or more EDCA parameters, one or more
energy detection threshold parameters, one or more delay
acknowledgement parameters, or one or more RTS parameters.
[0199] The message manager 1225 may transmit at least one message
to the access points that includes the time intervals and the one
or more transmission parameters associated with each time interval.
In some examples, the message manager 1225 may exchange
configuration information or diagnostic information associated with
the access points with a cloud controller, where determining the
time intervals or determining the one or more transmission
parameters associated with each time interval is based on
exchanging the configuration information or the diagnostic
information with the cloud controller. In some examples, a
controller is configured to transmit the at least one message to
the one or more access points. In some examples, at least one of
the one or more access points includes the controller. In some
examples, a control loop of the controller is at least partially
executed by a server different than the one or more access
points.
[0200] The type manager 1230 may determine a type of a time
interval, where determining the one or more transmission parameters
is based on determining the type of the time interval. In some
examples, the type of the time interval includes an arrangement of
transmission parameters for the time interval. In some examples,
the type of the time interval includes an AP-time type, a silent
type, a type 1, a type 2, or a type 3. In some examples, the
AP-time type indicates that the at least one access point may serve
any station associated with the at least one access point during
the time interval. In some examples, the silent type indicates that
the at least one access point does not transmit data packets during
the time interval.
[0201] The station manager 1235 may identify, for at least one of
the time intervals, a device to communicate with a first access
point of the one or more access points during the time interval,
where the one or more transmission parameters indicate that the
first access point is permitted to communicate with the station
during the time interval.
[0202] In some examples, the station manager 1235 may determine,
for at least one of the time intervals, that a first access point
of the one or more respective access points is permitted to
communicate during the time interval with a group of stations that
have an established communication link with the first access point,
where the one or more transmission parameters indicate that the
first access point is permitted to communicate during the time
interval with the group of stations. In some examples, determining,
for at least one of the time intervals, identifiers of stations
that a first access point of the one or more access points is
permitted to communicate with during the time interval, where the
at least one message includes the identifiers.
[0203] The communication link manager 1240 may determine conditions
of communication links between the one or more access points and
the one or more stations based on receiving the information from
the one or more access points, where determining the one or more
transmission parameters is based on determining the conditions of
the communication links.
[0204] The request manager 1245 may transmit at least one request
to at least one of the one or more access points to collect the
information, where receiving the information is based on
transmitting the at least one request.
[0205] The profile manager 1250 may identify a device profile for
at least one of the one or more stations associated with the one or
more access points, where determining the time intervals or
determining the one or more transmission parameters associated with
each time interval is based on identifying the device profile.
[0206] FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system including a device 1305
for use in wireless communication. The device 1305 may be an
example of or include the components of device 1005, device 1105,
or a controller as described herein. The device 1305 may include
components for bi-directional voice and data communications
including components for transmitting and receiving communications,
including a communications manager 1310, an I/O controller 1315, a
transceiver 1320, an antenna 1325, memory 1330, and a processor
1340. These components may be in electronic communication via one
or more buses (for example, bus 1345).
[0207] The communications manager 1310 may receive information from
one or more access points, determine one or more transmission
parameters and one or more operations that at least one access
point of the one or more access points is permitted to perform
during the respective time interval, and transmit at least one
message to at least one of the one or more access points, the
message indicating the one or more operations that at least one of
the access points is permitted to perform. Additionally or
alternatively the communications manager 1310 may optionally
receive information from a set of access points about signals
received by the access points, determine time intervals to be used
by the access points to communicate with one or more stations based
on the information from the access points, determine one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval, the one
or more transmission parameters associated with each time interval
defining, for the respective time interval, one or more operations
that one or more respective access points of the set of access
points are permitted to perform during the respective time
interval, and transmit at least one message to the access points
that includes the time intervals and the one or more transmission
parameters associated with each time interval.
[0208] I/O controller 1315 may manage input and output signals for
device 1305. I/O controller 1315 may also manage peripherals not
integrated into device 1305. In some examples, I/O controller 1315
may represent a physical connection or port to an external
peripheral. In some examples, I/O controller 1315 may utilize an
operating system such as iOS.RTM., ANDROID.RTM., MS-DOS.RTM.,
MS-WINDOWS.RTM., OS/2.RTM., UNIX.RTM., LINUX.RTM., or another known
operating system. In other cases, I/O controller 1315 may represent
or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a
similar device. In some examples, I/O controller 1315 may be
implemented as part of a processor. In some examples, a user may
interact with device 1305 via I/O controller 1315 or via hardware
components controlled by I/O controller 1315.
[0209] Transceiver 1320 may communicate bi-directionally, via one
or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For
example, the transceiver 1320 may represent a wireless transceiver
and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless
transceiver. The transceiver 1320 may also include a modem to
modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the
antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from
the antennas.
[0210] In some examples, the wireless device may include a single
antenna 1325. However, in some examples the device may have more
than one antenna 1325, which may be capable of concurrently
transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.
[0211] Memory 1330 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1330 may
store computer-readable, computer-executable software 1335
including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to
perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the
memory 1330 may contain, among other things, a basic input/output
system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software
operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or
devices.
[0212] Processor 1340 may include an intelligent hardware device,
(for example, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal
processor (DSP), a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a
programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic
component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination
thereof). In some examples, processor 1340 may be configured to
operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a
memory controller may be integrated into processor 1340. Processor
1340 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions
stored in a memory to perform various functions (for example,
functions or tasks supporting techniques for controlling a
network).
[0213] FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of a device 1405 for use in
wireless communication. The device 1405 may be an example of
aspects of an AP as described herein. The device 1405 may include a
receiver 1410, a communications manager 1415, and a transmitter
1420. The communications manager 1415 can be implemented, at least
in part, by one or both of a modem and a processor. Each of these
components may be in communication with one another (for example,
via one or more buses).
[0214] The receiver 1410 may receive information such as packets,
user data, or control information associated with various
information channels (for example, but not limited to, control
channels, data channels, and/or information related to techniques
for controlling a network). Information may be passed on to other
components of the device. The receiver 1410 may be an example of
aspects of the transceiver 1720 described with reference to FIG.
17. The receiver 1410 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0215] The communications manager 1415 may identify information
about an access point, transmit the information to a controller
configured to control a set of access points that include the
access point, receive at least one message from the controller that
includes time intervals for the access point to communicate with a
group of stations and one or more transmission parameters
associated with each time interval, the one or more transmission
parameters defining, for the respective time interval, one or more
operations that the access point is permitted to perform during the
respective time interval, and perform at least one of the one or
more operations during at least one time interval of the time
intervals. In some examples, the communications manager 1415 may
communicate with the group of stations during at least one time
interval of the time intervals using the respective one or more
transmission parameters.
[0216] The communications manager 1415, or its sub-components, may
be physically located at different locations, including being
distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at
different physical locations by one or more physical components. In
some examples, the communications manager 1415, or its
sub-components, may be a separate and distinct component in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some
examples, the communications manager 1415, or its sub-components,
may be combined with one or more other hardware components,
including but not limited to an input/output (I/O) component, a
transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or
more other components described in the present disclosure, or a
combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the
present disclosure.
[0217] The transmitter 1420 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1420
may be collocated with a receiver 1410 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 1420 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1720 described with reference to FIG. 17. The
transmitter 1420 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0218] FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of a device 1505 for use in
wireless communication. The device 1505 may be an example of
aspects of a device 1405 or an AP 105 as described herein. The
device 1505 may include a receiver 1510, a communications manager
1515, and a transmitter 1535. The communications manager 1515 can
be implemented, at least in part, by one or both of a modem and a
processor. Each of these components may be in communication with
one another (for example, via one or more buses).
[0219] The receiver 1510 may receive information such as packets,
user data, or control information associated with various
information channels (for example, but not limited to, control
channels, data channels, and/or information related to techniques
for controlling a network). Information may be passed on to other
components of the device. The receiver 1510 may be an example of
aspects of the transceiver 1720 described with reference to FIG.
17. The receiver 1510 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0220] The communications manager 1515 may include an information
manager 1520, a message manager 1525, and a time interval manager
1530. The information manager 1520 may identify information about
an access point and transmit the information to a controller
configured to control a set of access points that include the
access point.
[0221] The message manager 1525 may receive at least one message
from the controller that includes one or more transmission
parameters defining one or more operations that at least one of the
access points is permitted to perform, and determine one or more
transmission parameters for the information transmitted to the
controller. Additionally or alternatively, the message manager 1525
may optionally receive at least one message from the controller
that includes time intervals for the access point to communicate
with a group of stations and one or more transmission parameters
associated with each time interval, the one or more transmission
parameters defining, for the respective time interval, one or more
operations that the access point is permitted to perform during the
respective time interval.
[0222] The time interval manager 1530 may optionally perform at
least one of the one or more operations during at least one time
interval of the time intervals. The time interval manager 1530 may
communicate with the group of stations during at least one time
interval of the time intervals using the respective one or more
transmission parameters.
[0223] The transmitter 1535 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1535
may be collocated with a receiver 1510 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 1535 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 1720 described with reference to FIG. 17. The
transmitter 1535 may utilize a set of antennas.
[0224] FIG. 16 shows a block diagram of a communications manager
1605 for use in wireless communication. The communications manager
1605 may include an information manager 1610, a message manager
1615, a time interval manager 1620, a station manager 1625, and a
request manager 1630. Each of these modules may communicate,
directly or indirectly, with one another (for example, via one or
more buses).
[0225] The information manager 1610 may identify information an
access point. In some examples, the information manager 1610 may
transmit the information to a controller configured to control a
set of access points that include the access point. In some
examples, identifying statistics about stations that have an
established communication link with the access point, where the
information transmitted to the controller includes the statistics.
In some examples, identifying statistics about stations that do not
have an established communication link with the access point, where
the information transmitted to the controller includes the
statistics.
[0226] In some examples, identifying statistics about other access
points, where the information transmitted to the controller
includes the statistics about the other access points. In some
examples, the information transmitted to the controller includes
statistics about a first group of stations associated with the
access point and a second group of stations that are not associated
with the access point. In some examples, the information
transmitted to the controller includes an indicator of traffic
pending for at least one station of the group of stations.
[0227] In some examples, the information transmitted to the
controller includes one or more of a list of stations tracked by
the access point, a signal quality indicator associated with a
communication link between the access point and a station, a beacon
report about beacons received from other access points, client
statistics, BSS statistics, or a power state of the station. In
some examples, the one or more transmission parameters include one
or more of instructions to the access point to cause the access
point to communicate with stations associated with the access
point, a modification to a schedule associated with the access
point, a request-to-send configuration, a clear-to-send
configuration, or an indication of a rate adaptation
configuration.
[0228] The message manager 1615 may receive at least one message
from the controller that includes time intervals for the access
point to communicate with a group of stations and one or more
transmission parameters associated with each time interval, the one
or more transmission parameters defining, for the respective time
interval, one or more operations that the access point is permitted
to perform during the respective time interval. In some examples,
the message manager 1615 may transmit downlink signals to the group
of stations during the at least one time interval. In some
examples, the message manager 1615 may receive uplink signals from
the group of stations during the at least one time interval. In
some examples, the access point includes at least a portion of the
controller.
[0229] The time interval manager 1620 may optionally perform at
least one of the one or more operations during at least one time
interval of the time intervals. The time interval manager 1620 may
communicate with the group of stations during at least one time
interval of the time intervals using the respective one or more
transmission parameters. The time interval manager 1620 may
communicate with at least one state of the group of stations based
on the respective one or more transmission parameters.
[0230] The station manager 1625 may determine identifiers of
stations that the access point is permitted to communicate with
during the at least one time interval based on receiving the at
least one message, where communicating with the group of stations
during the at least one time interval is based on the identifiers.
In some examples, the group of stations includes stations that have
an established communication link with the access point, where the
access point is permitted to communicate with the stations during
the at least one time interval.
[0231] The request manager 1630 may receive at least one request to
collect the information about the access point, where identifying
the information is based on receiving the at least one request.
[0232] FIG. 17 shows a diagram of a system including a device 1705
for use in wireless communication. The device 1705 may be an
example of or include the components of device 1405, device 1505,
or an AP as described herein. The device 1705 may include
components for bi-directional voice and data communications
including components for transmitting and receiving communications,
including a communications manager 1710, a network communications
manager 1715, a transceiver 1720, an antenna 1725, memory 1730, a
processor 1740, and an inter-AP communications manager 1745. These
components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses
(for example, bus 1750).
[0233] The communications manager 1710 may identify information
about an access point, transmit the information to a controller
configured to control a set of access points that include the
access point, receive at least one message from the controller that
includes time intervals for the access point to communicate with a
group of stations and one or more transmission parameters
associated with each time interval, the one or more transmission
parameters defining, for the respective time interval, one or more
operations that the access point is permitted to perform during the
respective time interval, and communicate with the group of
stations during at least one time interval of the time intervals
using the respective one or more transmission parameters.
[0234] The network communications manager 1715 may manage
communications with the core network (for example, via one or more
wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications
manager 1715 may manage the transfer of data communications for
clien